U.S. patent number 8,472,972 [Application Number 11/943,605] was granted by the patent office on 2013-06-25 for device, system, and method of physical context based wireless communication.
This patent grant is currently assigned to International Business Machines Corporation. The grantee listed for this patent is Sima Nadler, Vladimir Soroka. Invention is credited to Sima Nadler, Vladimir Soroka.
United States Patent |
8,472,972 |
Nadler , et al. |
June 25, 2013 |
Device, system, and method of physical context based wireless
communication
Abstract
Device, system and method of physical context based wireless
communication. For example, a method for physical context based
wireless communication includes: determining an association between
a spatial location of a wireless communication device and location
context information related to said spatial location; determining
an identity of a user of said wireless communication device; and
determining an association between said user of the wireless
communication device and said location context information.
Inventors: |
Nadler; Sima (Kochav Yair,
IL), Soroka; Vladimir (Karmiel, IL) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Nadler; Sima
Soroka; Vladimir |
Kochav Yair
Karmiel |
N/A
N/A |
IL
IL |
|
|
Assignee: |
International Business Machines
Corporation (Armonk, NY)
|
Family
ID: |
40642519 |
Appl.
No.: |
11/943,605 |
Filed: |
November 21, 2007 |
Prior Publication Data
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|
|
Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20090131080 A1 |
May 21, 2009 |
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
455/456.1;
379/211.02; 455/456.5; 455/456.3 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q
30/0267 (20130101); G06Q 30/02 (20130101); G06Q
20/3224 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H04W
24/00 (20090101); H04M 3/42 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;455/456.1 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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WO03046709 |
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Jun 2003 |
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WO |
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WO2005076772 |
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Aug 2005 |
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WO |
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2005/043940 |
|
Dec 2005 |
|
WO |
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WO2007016049 |
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Feb 2007 |
|
WO |
|
Other References
J Al-Muhtadi et al., "Context and location-aware encryption for
pervasive computing environment", 2006
http://www.cl.com.ac.uk/.about.fms27/persec-2006/goodies/2006-AlmuhtadiHi-
lCamETAL-ecryption.pdf. cited by applicant .
R. Frieco et al., "Context-aware provision of advanced Internet
services", PERCOMW'06, 2006. cited by applicant.
|
Primary Examiner: Mehrpour; Melody
Assistant Examiner: Cosme; Natasha
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method for physical context based wireless communication, the
method comprising: determining a spatial location of a wireless
communication device; establishing location context information of
a user of the wireless communication device relating to the spatial
location, the location context information comprising a context of
the spatial location and properties of the user of the wireless
communication device, the properties comprising an identity, an age
and a gender of the user; determining a first association between
the spatial location of the wireless communication device and the
location context information; dynamically modifying the context of
the spatial location according to situational information,
comprising at least one of a presence of other users and a time
parameter; correlating the location context information of the user
with the dynamically modified context of the spatial location to
define new location context information; and communicating content
to the wireless communication device, the content being varied
responsively to the new location context information.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the first association
between the spatial location and the location context information
comprises: measuring a presence zone perimeter associated with the
spatial location; and registering the first association between the
spatial location and the location context information based on the
presence zone perimeter.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the first association
between the spatial location and the location context information
comprises: dynamically inferring the first association between the
spatial location and the location context information based on
Presence Advanced Services for Telco Applications logic.
4. The method of claim 1, comprising: determining whether or not
said wireless communication device is located in said spatial
location by one or more operations selected from the group
consisting of: determining based on cellular triangulation of the
wireless communication device; determining based on Global
Positioning System trilateration of the wireless communication
device; determining based on sensing a Radio Frequency ID element
of the wireless communication device; determining based on sensing
a Bluetooth wireless signal transmitted by the wireless
communication device; determining based on sensing an IEEE 802.11
wireless signal transmitted by the wireless communication device;
and determining based on sensing an IEEE 802.16 wireless signal
transmitted by the wireless communication device.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the identity of the
user of the wireless communication device comprises determining a
customer status of the user and further comprises one or more
operations selected from the group consisting of: one or more
operations for determining the identity of the user based on ID
data associated with the wireless communication device and based on
a first database of cellular phone users; and one or more
operations for determining the identity based on ID data associated
with the wireless communication device and a second database having
pre-registered information entered by the user of the wireless
communication device, wherein communicating content comprises
varying the content responsively to the customer status of the
user.
6. The method of claim 1, comprising: determining whether or not a
first wireless communication device is located in the spatial
location; determining an identity of a user of the first wireless
communication device; determining whether or not a second wireless
communication device is located in the spatial location;
determining an identity of a user of the second wireless
communication device; and associating between the location context
information, the user of the first wireless communication device,
and the user of the second wireless communication device.
7. The method of claim 1, comprising: registering a presence zone
associated with the spatial location; automatically determining
whether or not the wireless communication device is within the
presence zone; and publishing to a presence server an indication
selected from the group consisting of: an indication that the
wireless communication device is within the presence zone; and an
indication that the wireless communication device is not within the
presence zone.
8. The method of claim 7, comprising: determining whether or not
the wireless communication device has moved from a first presence
zone associated with a first spatial location to a second presence
zone associated with a second spatial location; and activating one
or more pre-defined call routing rules associated with the second
presence zone.
9. The method of claim 1, comprising: selectively providing a
content item to the wireless communication device based on the
identity of the user of the wireless communication device, the
spatial location of the wireless communication device, and the
location context information related to the wireless communication
device, wherein the content item is selected from the group
consisting of: an advertisement, a coupon, a promotional offer, a
dating application, a dating content item, a gaming application,
and a gaming content item.
10. The method of claim 1, comprising: routing an incoming call
addressed to the wireless communication device to an alternate
destination, based on the identity of the user of the wireless
communication device, the spatial location of the wireless
communication device, and the location context information related
to the wireless communication device.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the alternate destination
comprises one or more of: a voice messaging system, an electronic
mail system, an Instant Messaging system, a Short Messaging Service
system, an alternate telephone number, and a pager.
12. A system for physical context based wireless communication, the
system comprising: a server operative to determine a spatial
location of a wireless communication device, establish location
context information of a user of the wireless communication device
relating to the spatial location, the location context information
comprising a context of the spatial location and properties of the
user of the wireless communication device, the properties
comprising an identity of the user, to determine a first
association between the spatial location of the wireless
communication device and the location context information, and to
dynamically modify the context of the spatial location according to
situational information, comprising at least one of a presence of
other users and a time parameter, to correlate the location context
information of the user with the dynamically modified context of
the spatial location to define new location context information,
and to communicate content to the wireless communication device,
the content being varied responsively to the new location context
information.
13. The system of claim 12, further comprising: a portable device
to measure a presence zone perimeter associated with the spatial
location, and to register the first association between the spatial
location and the location context information based on the presence
zone perimeter.
14. The system of claim 12, further comprising: a logic unit to
dynamically infer the first association between the spatial
location and the location context information based on Presence
Advanced Services for Telco Applications logic.
15. The system of claim 12, further comprising: a presence detector
to determine whether or not that said wireless communication device
is located in said spatial location by one or more algorithms
selected from the group consisting of: an algorithm based on
cellular triangulation of the wireless communication device; an
algorithm based on Global Positioning System trilateration of the
wireless communication device; an algorithm based on sensing a
Radio Frequency ID element of the wireless communication device; an
algorithm based on sensing a Bluetooth wireless signal transmitted
by the wireless communication device; an algorithm based on sensing
an IEEE 802.11 wireless signal transmitted by the wireless
communication device; and an algorithm based on sensing an IEEE
802.16 wireless signal transmitted by the wireless communication
device.
16. The system of claim 12, wherein the server is operative to
determine a customer status of the user and further comprises one
or more operations selected from the group consisting of: one or
more operations for determining the identity of the user based on
ID data associated with the wireless communication device and based
on a first database of cellular phone users; and one or more
operations for determining the identity of the user of the wireless
communication device based on ID data associated with the wireless
communication device and a second database having pre-registered
information entered by the user of the wireless communication
device, wherein communicating content comprises varying the content
responsively to the customer status of the user.
17. The system of claim 12, further comprising: a presence detector
to determine whether or not a first wireless communication device
is located in the spatial location, to determine an identity of a
user of the first wireless communication device, to determine
whether or not a second wireless communication device is located in
the spatial location, and to determine an identity of a user of the
second wireless communication device, wherein the server is
operative to associate between the location context information,
the user of the first wireless communication device, and the user
of the second wireless communication device.
18. The system of claim 12, wherein the server is operative to
register a presence zone associated with the spatial location, to
automatically determine whether or not the wireless communication
device is within the presence zone, and to publish to one or more
subscribers an indication selected from the group consisting of: an
indication that the wireless communication device is within the
presence zone; and an indication that the wireless communication
device is not within the presence zone.
19. A wireless communication device adapted for physical context
based wireless communication, the wireless communication device
comprising: a wireless receiver to receive a wireless communication
signal carrying a content item selected by a remote transmitter
based on a first determined association between a spatial location
of a user of the wireless communication device and location context
information related to said spatial location, the location context
information comprising a context of the spatial location, and
properties of the user of the wireless communication device, the
properties comprising a determined identity of the user of the
wireless communication device; and a processor to perform at least
part of a logic which determines the first association between the
spatial location and the location context information, determines
the identity of the user, dynamically modify the context of the
spatial location according to situational information, comprising
at least one of a presence of other users and a time parameter, to
correlate the location context information of the user with the
dynamically modified context of the spatial location to define new
location context information, the content item being varied
responsively to the new location context information.
20. The wireless communication device of claim 19, comprising: a
communication unit selected from the group consisting of: a Global
Positioning System receiver, a Radio Frequency ID element, a
Bluetooth transceiver, an IEEE 802.11 transceiver, an IEEE 802.16
transceiver.
21. The wireless communication device of claim 20, further
comprising: an interface operative to register ID data from a
remote database associated with the remote transmitter.
Description
FIELD
Some embodiments of the invention are related to the field of
communication using cellular phones and other wireless
communication devices.
BACKGROUND
A wireless communication device, for example, a cellular phone,
allows a user to wirelessly communicate with other persons, for
example, by conducting an audio conversation, by sending and
receiving Short Message Service (SMS) messages, by sending and
receiving Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) messages, or the
like.
A wireless communication system may roughly locate a general area
in which the wireless communication device is located. This may be
performed, for example, by determining a wireless cell to which the
wireless communication device is associated. For example, the
wireless communication system may determine that the wireless
communication device is located in a cell which is in proximity to
a mall, and may transmit to the wireless communication device an
advertisement for goods or services provided in that mall.
Unfortunately, such localization methods may not be sufficiently
accurate or efficient.
SUMMARY
Some embodiments of the invention include, for example, devices,
systems and methods of physical context based wireless
communication.
In some embodiments, a method for physical context based wireless
communication includes: determining an association between a
spatial location of a wireless communication device and location
context information related to the spatial location; determining an
identity of a user of the wireless communication device; and
determining an association between the user of the wireless
communication device and the location context information.
In some embodiments, determining an association between the spatial
location and the location context information includes: measuring a
presence zone perimeter associated with the spatial location; and
registering the association between the spatial location and the
location context information based on the presence zone
perimeter.
In some embodiments, determining an association between the spatial
location and the location context information includes: dynamically
inferring the association between the spatial location and the
location context information based on Presence Advanced Services
for Telco Applications logic.
In some embodiments, the method includes: determining whether or
not the wireless communication device is located in the spatial
location by one or more operations selected from the group
consisting of: determining based on cellular triangulation of the
wireless communication device; determining based on Global
Positioning System trilateration of the wireless communication
device; determining based on sensing a Radio Frequency ID element
of the wireless communication device; determining based on sensing
a Bluetooth wireless signal transmitted by the wireless
communication device; determining based on sensing an IEEE 802.11
wireless signal transmitted by the wireless communication device;
and determining based on sensing an IEEE 802.16 wireless signal
transmitted by the wireless communication device.
In some embodiments, determining the identity of the user of the
wireless communication device includes one or more operations
selected from the group consisting of: one or more operations for
determining the identity of the user based on ID data associated
with the wireless communication device and based on a database of
cellular phone users; and one or more operations for determining
the identity based on ID data associated with the wireless
communication device and a database having pre-registered
information entered by the user of the wireless communication
device.
In some embodiments, the method includes: determining whether or
not a first wireless communication device is located in the spatial
location; determining an identity of a user of the first wireless
communication device; determining whether or not a second wireless
communication device is located in the spatial location;
determining an identity of a user of the second wireless
communication device; and associating between the location context
information, the user of the first wireless communication device,
and the user of the second wireless communication device.
In some embodiments, the method includes: registering a presence
zone associated with the spatial location; automatically
determining whether or not the wireless communication device is
within the presence zone; and publishing to a presence server an
indication selected from the group consisting of: an indication
that the wireless communication device is within the presence zone;
and an indication that the wireless communication device is not
within the presence zone.
In some embodiments, the method includes: determining whether or
not the wireless communication device moved from a first presence
zone associated with a first spatial location to a second presence
zone associated with a second spatial location; and activating one
or more pre-defined call routing rules associated with the second
presence zone.
In some embodiments, the method includes: selectively providing a
content item to the wireless communication device based on the
identity of the user of the wireless communication device, the
spatial location of the wireless communication device, and the
location context information related to the wireless communication
device, wherein the content item is selected from the group
consisting of: an advertisement, a coupon, a promotional offer, a
dating application, a dating content item, a gaming application,
and a gaming content item.
In some embodiments, the method includes: routing an incoming call
addressed to the wireless communication device to an alternate
destination, based on the identity of the user of the wireless
communication device, the location of the wireless communication
device, and the location context information related to the
wireless communication device.
In some embodiments, the alternate destination includes one or more
of: a voice messaging system, an electronic mail system, an Instant
Messaging system, a Short Messaging Service system, an alternate
telephone number, and a pager.
In some embodiments, a system for physical context based wireless
communication includes: a server to determine an association
between a spatial location of a wireless communication device and
location context information related to the spatial location, to
determine an identity of a user of the wireless communication
device, and to determine an association between the user of the
wireless communication device and the location context
information.
In some embodiments, a wireless communication device adapted for
physical context based wireless communication includes: a wireless
receiver to receive a wireless communication signal carrying a
content item selected by a remote transmitter based on a determined
association between a spatial location of the wireless
communication device and location context information related to
the spatial location, based on a determined identity of a user of
the wireless communication device, and based on a determined
association between the user of the wireless communication device
and the location context information; and a processor to perform at
least part of a logic which determines the association between the
spatial location and the location context information, determines
the identity of the user, and determines the association between
the user and the location context information.
In some embodiments, a system for presence zone based wireless
communication includes: a database to associate between a presence
zone and location context information related to the presence zone;
a presence detector to detect whether or not a user of a wireless
communication device is located within the presence zone; a
presence server to publish to one or more subscribers data
indicating whether or not the user of the wireless communication
device is located within the presence zone; and an application
server to selectively transmit content to the wireless
communication device based on the presence zone, the location
context information, and an identity of the user of the wireless
communication device.
Some embodiments may include, for example, a computer program
product including a computer-useable medium including a
computer-readable program, wherein the computer-readable program
when executed on a computer causes the computer to perform methods
in accordance with some embodiments of the invention.
Some embodiments of the invention may provide other and/or
additional benefits and/or advantages.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
For simplicity and clarity of illustration, elements shown in the
figures have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the
dimensions of some of the elements may be exaggerated relative to
other elements for clarity of presentation. Furthermore, reference
numerals may be repeated among the figures to indicate
corresponding or analogous elements. The figures are listed
below.
FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram illustration of a wireless
communication system in accordance with a demonstrative embodiment
of the invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic flow-chart of a method of wireless
communication in accordance with a demonstrative embodiment of the
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
In the following detailed description, numerous specific details
are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of some
embodiments of the invention. However, it will be understood by
persons of ordinary skill in the art that embodiments of the
invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other
instances, well-known methods, procedures, components, units and/or
circuits have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the
discussion.
Discussions herein utilizing terms such as, for example,
"processing," "computing," "calculating," "determining,"
"establishing", "analyzing", "checking", or the like, may refer to
operation(s) and/or process(es) of a computer, a computing
platform, a computing system, or other electronic computing device,
that manipulate and/or transform data represented as physical
(e.g., electronic) quantities within the computer's registers
and/or memories into other data similarly represented as physical
quantities within the computer's registers and/or memories or other
information storage medium that may store instructions to perform
operations and/or processes.
The terms "plurality" and "a plurality" as used herein includes,
for example, "multiple" or "two or more". For example, "a plurality
of items" includes two or more items.
Although portions of the discussion herein relate, for
demonstrative purposes, to wired links and/or wired communications,
embodiments of the invention are not limited in this regard, and
may include one or more wired or wireless links, may utilize one or
more components of wireless communication, may utilize one or more
methods or protocols of wireless communication, or the like. Some
embodiments of the invention may utilize wired communication and/or
wireless communication.
Some embodiments of the invention may be used in conjunction with
various devices and systems, for example, a Personal Computer (PC),
a desktop computer, a mobile computer, a laptop computer, a
notebook computer, a tablet computer, a server computer, a handheld
computer, a handheld device, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA)
device, a handheld PDA device, an on-board device, an off-board
device, a hybrid device, a vehicular device, a non-vehicular
device, a mobile or portable device, a non-mobile or non-portable
device, a wireless communication station, a wireless communication
device, a wireless Access Point (AP), a wireless Base Station, a
Mobile Subscriber Station (MSS), a wired or wireless Network
Interface Card (NIC), a wired or wireless router, a wired or
wireless modem, a wired or wireless network, a Local Area Network
(LAN), a Wireless LAN (WLAN), a Metropolitan Area Network (MAN), a
Wireless MAN (WMAN), a Wide Area Network (WAN), a Wireless WAN
(WWAN), a Personal Area Network (PAN), a Wireless PAN (WPAN),
devices and/or networks operating in accordance with existing IEEE
802.11, 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.16, 802.16d,
802.16e, 802.16m standards and/or future versions and/or
derivatives and/or Long Term Evolution (LTE) of the above
standards, units and/or devices which are part of the above
networks, one way and/or two-way radio communication systems,
cellular radio-telephone communication systems, a cellular
telephone, a wireless telephone, a Personal Communication Systems
(PCS) device, a PDA device which incorporates a wireless
communication device, a mobile or portable Global Positioning
System (GPS) device, a device which incorporates a GPS receiver or
transceiver or chip, a device which incorporates a Radio Frequency
Identification (RFID) element or tag or transponder, a Multiple
Input Multiple Output (MIMO) transceiver or device, a Single Input
Multiple Output (SIMO) transceiver or device, a Multiple Input
Single Output (MISO) transceiver or device, a device having one or
more internal antennas and/or external antennas, a wired or
wireless handheld device (e.g., BlackBerry, Palm Treo), a Wireless
Application Protocol (WAP) device, or the like.
Some embodiments of the invention may be used in conjunction with
one or more types of wireless communication signals and/or systems,
for example, Radio Frequency (RF), Infra Red (IR),
Frequency-Division Multiplexing (FDM), Orthogonal FDM (OFDM), OFDM
Access (OFDMA), Time-Division Multiplexing (TDM), Time-Division
Multiple Access (TDMA), Extended TDMA (E-TDMA), General Packet
Radio Service (GPRS), extended GPRS, Code-Division Multiple Access
(CDMA), Wideband CDMA (WCDMA), CDMA 2000, Multi-Carrier Modulation
(MDM), Discrete Multi-Tone (DMT), Bluetooth.RTM., Global
Positioning System (GPS), Wi-Fi, Wi-Max, ZigBee.TM., Ultra-Wideband
(UWB), Global System for Mobile communication (GSM), 2G, 2.5G, 3G,
Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), 3.5G, or the like.
Embodiments of the invention may be used in various other devices,
systems and/or networks.
The term "mobile device" as used herein includes, for example, a
cellular phone, a mobile phone, a laptop computer, a notebook
computer, a wireless communication device, a wireless communication
station, a tablet computer, a PDA device, a handheld device, a
portable computer, a portable computing device, a mobile computer,
a mobile computing device, or the like.
The term "mobile device user" as used herein includes, for example,
a user of a mobile device, an owner of a mobile device, a
registered user or owner of a mobile device, a subscriber to mobile
services or wireless services or cellular services, a person or
entity associated (e.g., for registration purposes, for billing
purposes, or the like) with a mobile device, or the like.
In some embodiments, substantially all the logic, algorithms,
determinations and/or processing described herein may be
server-side and may be included in, or performed by, one or more
servers. In other embodiments, substantially all the logic,
algorithms, determinations and/or processing described herein may
be client-side and may be included in, or performed by, one or more
clients or mobile devices. In yet other embodiments, at least a
first portion of the logic, algorithms, determinations and/or
processing described herein may be server-side and may be included
in, or performed by, one or more servers; whereas at least a second
portion of the logic, algorithms, determinations and/or processing
described herein may be client-side and may be included in, or
performed by, one or more clients or mobile devices. Other suitable
architectures may be used.
At an overview, some embodiments of the invention provide devices,
systems and method of physical context based wireless
communication. A mobile device is used in order to identify its
user's context, namely, the physical context associated with the
user of the mobile device. In some embodiments, the physical
location of the mobile device and its user may be identified using
one or more location identification methods, for example, cellular
triangulation, GPS, Bluetooth communication, RF Identification
(RFID) tagging, or the like. The identified location is associated
with physical context information, thereby allowing to provide to
the mobile device tailored applications and tailored content, to
specifically accommodate the location of the mobile device, the
physical context of the user of the mobile device, and/or personal
properties of the user of the mobile device.
Some embodiments thus provide methods to identify or to determine a
physical context of a user of a mobile device. The physical context
is determined based on multiple components, for example: the
identity (or other personal information) of the user of the mobile
device; the determined physical location of the user of the mobile
device; and the context associated with the determined physical
location. Some embodiments allow determination of these multiple
components, thereby allowing determination of the context of the
user of the mobile device. The determined context may be used in
various types of applications, for example, call routing,
advertising, dating, gaming, or the like. The derived context
allows personalized data and applications to be provided to
end-users of mobile devices.
Some embodiments utilize presence zones, in order to identify the
context of the user of a mobile device. The combination of the
identity (or other properties) of the user of the mobile device,
the location of the user, and the context of the location, is used
in order to provide tailored applications and/or tailored content
to the user of the mobile device. In some embodiments, this is
performed using a service provider which provides context-based
applications and/or content to one or more physical location
owners.
In some embodiments, presence zones core functionality defines
multiple roles, for example, a mobile device user, a location or
zone, a zone owner, and a service provider.
The mobile device user is the user who carries the device with him
as he moves from location to location. The user may define
preferences associated with presence ones service(s).
The location/zone is a specific physical location for which there
is an interest in identifying the people in the location/zone. This
may be a home, office, school, restaurant, store, specific sub-area
of a location (e.g., a hospital emergency room), or the like. It
may further include a dynamic zone which exists based on the
presence of certain people or other parameters. For example, a
person's office may be considered a meeting room if several people
are present for more than a couple of minutes.
The zone owner is a person or entity who owns or holds
responsibility for the zone. The zone owner provides information
about the zone to the presence zones service provider, for example,
the name of the business or location, type of
business/organization, pertinent parameters for the presence zones
service (e.g., hours during which to enforce a quiet zone, database
containing coupons and advertising parameters, etc).
The service provider is the enterprise or communications service
provider that provides the presence zones service(s). The identity
of the mobile device user is registered with the service
provider.
In some embodiments, zone registration and initialization is
performed; for example, once a zone of interest is identified, the
zone is registered with the service provider and the location
identification method is set. Different methods may include
different types of registration and initialization. Some methods
may utilize sensors installed on the premises, whereas other
methods may require that the exact physical coordinates be measured
and registered with the service provider. Other zone installation
requirements and/or zone mapping requirements may be used.
For example, some embodiments that utilize cellular triangulation,
do not require installation of sensors in the zone; and require
identification of cellular base stations in the vicinity of the
zone. Some embodiments that utilize Bluetooth communication require
installation of one or more Bluetooth sensors in the zone, and do
not require zone mapping. Some embodiments that utilize GPS
communication do not require installation of sensors in the zone;
and require measurement and registration of zone perimeter
coordinates. Some embodiments that utilize a passive RFID element
require installation of one or more RFID sensors in the zone; and
do not require zone mapping.
In some embodiments, the zone owner provides additional
service-specific parameters. The presence zones service provider
may provide a Web-based interface to input the information required
during the zone registration process.
If Bluetooth, or other on-site sensor technology, is utilized as
the location technology, then one or more sensors are installed in
the zone, and a means of communicating the information collected by
the sensors is established. Data transfer may be performed using
PSTN, cellular or other communication methods. Each sensor includes
presence zones software, which scans for mobile devices in the
vicinity, notes their Bluetooth ID or RFID or other identifying
data, and sends the IDs together with the zone ID to the service
provider to note their presence in the sensor vicinity. The sensor
further logs which mobile devices are in its vicinity, and logs
when a mobile device leaves the zone; this information is further
sent to the service provider. In some embodiments utilizing
Bluetooth, pairing is not required, and a Bluetooth inquiry is
used. In some embodiments, SIP protocol and a SIP stack are used to
send the IDs from sensor to the service provider.
In some embodiments, the sensor and/or the software may be
implemented using a PDA device, a cellular phone, a J2ME device, a
laptop computer using a J2SE platform, a dedicated appliance (e.g.,
supplied by the service provider).
Some embodiments may utilize server-side location technologies. For
example, when using GPS or cellular triangulation to identify the
mobile device location, there is no need to install sensors in the
zone premises; instead, the system pre-registers the physical
coordinates of the zone with the service provider. For example,
when GPS is used, a user walks through the premises and notes
coordinates that define the location. Optionally, a J2ME
application is provided to assist in this process such that a
GPS-enabled mobile device user walks from point to point, presses a
button in the mobile application, and automatically has the
coordinate registered for the specified zone. A similar process may
be performed with regard to cellular-based localization.
Some embodiments include an interface for the mobile device users
to indicate their individual preferences regarding the presence
zones service(s). This may include a means to register the
Bluetooth or RFID number of the mobile device, in order to allow
service to identify the registered mobile device. This interface
may be hosted by the presence zones service provider, and may be
Web based.
In some embodiments, once the zone is registered, sensors installed
if necessary, and users are registered for a presence zones
service, the system goes into operational mode. The location
sensing subsystem receives input from the various types of sensors
installed on the premises, and/or the GPS or cellular triangulation
data received from internal systems. The system aggregates the
information and identifies mobile device users who entered, left,
and/or remain in the zone. The system identifies the mobile device
ID and the zone ID, and then uses a proxy to obtain the user's
identity based on the mobile device ID. The system then sends this
information to components that act on this information, for
example, a presence server and/or a presence zone application
server which hosts the logic for the presence zones service.
Optionally, an arbitration component is utilized to handle
situations where a mobile device user is identified as located in
more than one zone.
In some embodiments, the proxy receives raw location information;
converts sensor ID (for example, RFID, Bluetooth, GPS, or the like)
into SIP URIs; and sends the information to the application server.
As a proxy, this application is used for all of the initial SIP
messages, as a gateway. For example, "INVITE" messages are
forwarded to the presence zones application server, to be handled;
whereas "SUBSCRIBE" messages are sent to the presence server. The
proxy may further operate as a registrar and receives "REGISTER"
messages; data regarding the registered entities (or presentities)
is saved in memory.
Once a request is made to invoke the service-specific logic, the
system already has the user's identity, location, and contextual
location. One or more applications, services and/or content may be
selectively provided to the mobile device user, based on the
determined information.
Some embodiments utilize Presence Advanced Services for Telco
Applications (PASTA) systems or applications, or a PASTA inference
engine, for example, a PASTA logic server or sub-system. For
example, the system logic may utilize PASTA to allow the physical
context information to be used together with other information from
other sources (for example, other persons in the vicinity,
calendar, call detail records, activities being performed on a PC,
or the like) in order to infer dynamic presence zones. PASTA logic
may further be used to publish information that is a result of
aggregating data from several different sources, and/or information
learned from experience based on previous activities (e.g., a
machine learning engine, event processing, or the like).
Some embodiments utilize presence logging or presence tracking, for
example, storing and tracking the presence information that is
determined. For example, a database is used to store and log the
mobile device user's presence status changes, e.g., time of entry
into the zone, time of exit from the zone, name and type of the
zone, or the like. The data stored in database may be analyzed; and
a reporting engine generates reports about individual subscribers
(e.g., subject to subscriber approval), groups of subscribers
(e.g., which belong to an enterprises), and/or general trend
analysis.
FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a block diagram of a wireless
communication system 100 in accordance with some demonstrative
embodiments of the invention. System 100 includes one or more
mobile devices, for example, mobile devices 110 and 180; and one or
more presence zones, for example, a presence zone 152. System 100
optionally includes other suitable components, for example, one or
more wireless Access Points (APs) or Base Stations (BSs).
Optionally, mobile devices 110 and 180, as well as other components
of system 100, communicate using wireless links (e.g., uplinks and
downlinks) through a shared access medium 181.
Mobile device 110 includes, for example, a processor 111, an input
unit 112, an output unit 113, a memory unit 114, a storage unit
115, and a communication unit 116. Mobile device 110 optionally
includes other suitable hardware components and/or software
components.
Processor 111 includes, for example, a Central Processing Unit
(CPU), a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), one or more processor
cores, a single-core processor, a dual-core processor, a
multiple-core processor, a microprocessor, a host processor, a
controller, a plurality of processors or controllers, a chip, a
microchip, one or more circuits, circuitry, a logic unit, an
Integrated Circuit (IC), an Application-Specific IC (ASIC), or
other suitable multi-purpose or specific processor or controller.
Processor 111 executes instructions, for example, of an Operating
System (OS) 117 or of one or more applications 118.
Input unit 112 includes, for example, a keyboard, a keypad, a
mouse, a touch-pad, a joystick, a track-ball, a stylus, a
microphone, or other suitable pointing unit or input device. Output
unit 113 includes, for example, a monitor, a screen, a Cathode Ray
Tube (CRT) display unit, a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) display
unit, a plasma display unit, one or more audio speakers or
earphones, or other suitable output devices.
Memory unit 114 includes, for example, a Random Access Memory
(RAM), a Read Only Memory (ROM), a Dynamic RAM (DRAM), a
Synchronous DRAM (SD-RAM), a flash memory, a volatile memory, a
non-volatile memory, a cache memory, a buffer, a short term memory
unit, a long term memory unit, or other suitable memory units.
Storage unit 115 includes, for example, a hard disk drive, a floppy
disk drive, a Compact Disk (CD) drive, a CD-ROM drive, a Digital
Versatile Disk (DVD) drive, or other suitable removable or
non-removable storage units. Memory unit 114 and/or storage unit
115, for example, store data processed by mobile device 110.
Communication unit 116 includes, for example, a wireless
transceiver, a wireless modem, a wireless Network Interface Card
(NIC), or the like. Communication unit 116 includes, for example, a
radio transceiver 121 for cellular network, an IEEE 802.11
transceiver 122, an IEEE 802.16 transceiver 123, and/or a Bluetooth
transceiver 124. Each one of transceivers 121-124 includes, for
example, a wireless Radio Frequency (RF) transmitter-receiver able
to transmit and/or receiver wireless RF signals, blocks, frames,
transmission streams, packets, messages and/or data.
Transceivers 121-124 may be associated with one or more antennas,
for example, with antennas 131-134, respectively. Antennas 131-134
may be implemented using a common antenna, a common set of multiple
antennas, or other suitable component(s). In some embodiments,
antennas 131-134 may include an internal and/or external RF
antenna, a dipole antenna, a monopole antenna, an omni-directional
antenna, an end fed antenna, a circularly polarized antenna, a
micro-strip antenna, a diversity antenna, or other type of antenna
suitable for transmitting and/or receiving wireless communication
signals, blocks, frames, transmission streams, packets, messages
and/or data.
Optionally, mobile device 110 may further include a GPS receiver
125, which may be associated with an antenna 135. The GPS position
of mobile device 110 is tracked using a GPS server, which provides
the coordinates of mobile device 110 to the presence zones service
provider. Optionally, mobile device 110 may further include a RFID
element 126, for example a RFID tag, a RFID transponder, a RFID
chip, a chipless RFID object, a RFID IC, a passive RFID tag, an
active RFID tag, a semi-passive or battery-assisted RFID tag, or
the like. The RFID element 126 may be associated with an antenna
136.
In some embodiments, some or all of the components of mobile device
110 may be enclosed in a common housing or packaging, and may be
interconnected or operably associated using one or more wired or
wireless links. In other embodiments, components of mobile device
110 may be distributed among multiple or separate devices or
locations.
In some embodiments, system 100 may perform operations taking into
account multiple components. System 100 may utilize information
about the identity of the user and/or owner of the mobile device
110, who carries and/or operates the mobile device 110, optionally
while roaming or moving among locations, and who is able to define
preferences associated with presence zones services. System 100 may
further utilize information about one or more locations of
interest, for example, a specific physical location 151 for which
there is an interest in identifying persons (namely, mobile device
users) located therein. Location 151 may be, for example, an
office, a school, a restaurant, a store, a hospital, a home, a
specific sub-area of a location (e.g., an emergency room of a
hospital), or the like. One or more presence zones may be defined
to generally correspond to locations, or to generally cover the
area of locations, respectively; for example, a presence zone 152
may be set and/or defined to generally correspond to the area and
position of location 151.
In some embodiments, a presence zone may be dynamic and may be
modified or re-defined based on situational information. For
example, if a mobile device user is located within her office, then
a context of "office" is determined; subsequently, it is determined
that several other persons joined her, and a "meeting" context or a
"meeting" zone may be automatically defined. Other automatic
modifications may be performed with regard to zones and/or
contexts.
A location 151, and a corresponding presence zone 152, may be
associated with a zone owner or a location owner, namely, an entity
which owns or manages or is responsible for that location 151 or
for that presence zone 152. The zone owner provides information
about the zone 152 to a presence zone service provider, for
example, information including the name of the business or
location, the type of the business or organization, and parameters
relevant for the presence zones service (e.g., hours during which
to enforce a quiet zone; database including coupons, promotions and
advertising parameters; or the like). A presence zone service
provider is an entity which provides presence zones service(s) to
one or more zone owners.
Mobile device 110 and/or system 100 may be adapted or configured to
support physical context based wireless communication. In some
embodiments, the sensing technology installed in the location 151
may determine the capabilities required from the mobile device 110.
In other embodiments, the components included in mobile device 110
may determine the capability of the location 151 to provide
presence zone services to mobile device 110 while the mobile device
110 is in the presence zone 152 associated with location 151.
In some embodiments, for example, presence zone services may be
selectively provided to mobile device 110 while the mobile device
is in presence zone 152, based on cellular triangulation. For
example, multiple cellular base stations 161-163, located in the
vicinity of the presence zone 152, utilize triangulation to
identify the location of the mobile device 110 which includes the
cellular transceiver 121.
Additionally or alternatively, the determination that mobile device
110 is located within presence zone 152 may be performed using GPS
trilateration, for example, utilizing the GPS receiver 125 of
mobile device 110 and three or more GPS satellites. Coordinates of
the perimeter of presence zone 152 may be measured and registered
in advance (e.g., by the presence zone service provider, or by the
zone owner utilizing a zone registration interface 176 provided by
the presence zone service provider), as zone perimeter coordinates
159, to allow association between the geo-spatial location of the
mobile device 110 and the presence zone 152. Optionally, a
geo-spatial information database 159 may be utilized or queried for
performing the association.
Additionally or alternatively, the determination that mobile device
110 is located within presence zone 152 may be performed using
Bluetooth communication. For example, location 151 may include one
or more Bluetooth transceivers or Bluetooth sensors 153-155 (e.g.,
installed in the presence zone 152 by a presence zone service
provider). The Bluetooth sensors 153-155 may determine that mobile
device 110, which includes a Bluetooth transceiver 124, is located
within the presence zone 152. In some embodiments, the relatively
short range of Bluetooth communication (e.g., under 100 meters) may
allow precise localization of the mobile device 110 and/or improved
level of resolution (e.g., determination that mobile device 110 is
located in a specific store, and not generally inside or near the
mall; or determination that mobile device 110 is located in a
specific hospital department, and not generally inside or near the
hospital). Other short-range communication standards or protocol
may be used to determine whether or not the mobile device 110 is
located within presence zone 152.
Additionally or alternatively, the determination that mobile device
110 is located within presence zone 152 may be performed using RFID
tagging. For example, location 151 may include one or more RFID
sensors 156-158 (e.g., installed in the presence zone 152 by a
presence zone service provider). The RFID sensors 156-158 may
determine that mobile device 110, which includes the RFID element
126, is located within the presence zone 152. In some embodiments,
the relatively short range of RFID tagging (e.g., under 100 meters)
may allow precise localization of the mobile device 110 and/or
improved level of resolution (e.g., determination that mobile
device 110 is located in a specific store, and not generally inside
or near the mall; or determination that mobile device 110 is
located in a specific hospital department, and not generally inside
or near the hospital).
The determination that mobile device 110 is located within presence
zone 152 may be performed using one or more methods, for example,
by a presence detector 165. Upon detection, the presence detector
165 may indicate to a presence server 166 (e.g., directly, or using
a proxy 167 or other routing mechanism) that mobile device 110 is
located within presence zone 152. Presence detector 165 takes into
account information from one or more sensors and/or types of
location sensors, in order to determine in which presence zone the
mobile device 110 is located. Presence detector 165 may determine
that the mobile device 110 is in a zone, enters a zone, leaves a
zone, or the like. In some embodiments, if the presence detector
165 identifies the mobile device 110 in more than one presence
zone, an arbitration mechanism is used in order to make the final
determination regarding the presence zone in which the mobile
device 110 is located; the arbitration mechanism may be configured
to accommodate the needs of a specific presence zones
application.
Presence detector 165 and/or presence server 166 may select or
generate applications, services or content to be selectively
provided to mobile device 110 (e.g., and not to other mobile
devices in its vicinity). The selection or generation is performed
based on the determination that mobile device 110 is in presence
zone 152; based on the identity of the user or owner of mobile
device 110 (e.g., as obtained from a cellular users database 168 of
a cellular communication provider, or from the presence zones
service provider's database); based on the information that
presence zone 152 has one or more pre-defined properties (e.g., a
property of a restaurant); and optionally based on other properties
of the user of mobile device 110 (e.g., gender, age, shopping
history, or the like), optionally obtained from the cellular users
database 168 or from an external database provided by a business
partner. The presence detector 165 may thus tailor specific
applications, services or content to be provided to mobile device
110.
In some embodiments, the tailored content may be generated or
modified using a content manager module 169, optionally utilizing
input received from content provider(s) 170. For example, content
providers 170 provide access to multiple advertisements, and
content manager module 169 selects an advertisement based on
determination that mobile device 110 is located within presence
zone 152, based on determination that presence zone 152 corresponds
to location 151 which is a restaurant, and based on determination
that the user of mobile device 110 is Jane Adams, a 24 year-old
female. Optionally, a billing server 171 is utilized to charge the
user of mobile device 110 for provided services, and/or to obtain
information about prior transactions performed by the user of
mobile device 110 (e.g., shopping history).
Presence server may utilize an application server 172 to select,
generate and/or provide applications to the mobile device 110. The
application server 172 may be associated, for example, with a
Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) server 173 or other SIP
components; IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) server 174 or IMS
applications or IMS components; and/or a Simple Mail Transfer
Protocol (SMTP) server 175. In some embodiments, mobile device 110
located within the presence zone 152 may be provided with IMS
applications, SIP applications, or other applications or content in
accordance with other suitable protocols, optionally using gateways
to allow interaction with legacy networks. In some embodiments,
mobile device 110 need not be an IMS-enabled handset in order to
receive tailored content and applications when located within the
presence zone 152.
In some embodiments, a presence zone service provider may provide
services of zone registration, initialization and/or operations.
For example, once a presence zone of interest is identified, it is
registered with the presence zone service provider and one or more
location identification methods are determined and set. In some
embodiments, different localization methods may require different
types of registration and initialization. For example, some
localization methods include installation of sensors on the
premises of location 151; other localization methods include
measuring of exact physical coordinates and their registration with
the presence zone service provider. Optionally, the owner or
operator of location 151 provides to the presence zone service
provider additional service-specific parameters. In some
embodiments, zone registration process may be performed using an
Internet web-site or other Web interface.
In some embodiments, an on-site sensing mechanism may be used
and/or installed in location 151, for example, Bluetooth sensors
153-155, RFID sensors 156-158, or the like. Information collected
by the sensors is transferred to the presence detector 165, for
example, using cellular communication, IEEE 802.11 communication,
IEEE 802.16 communication, wired communication, wireless
communication, or Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). A
sensor may be associated with, or may include, a presence zone
software or a presence zone application, which scans for mobile
device(s) in the vicinity of the sensor, records the ID(s) of
identified mobile device(s), and transfers the mobile device(s)
ID(s) together with the presence zone 152 ID to the presence zone
service provider (e.g., to presence server 166). In some
embodiments, the sensor may keep track of a mobile device that is
identified to be within the presence zone 152, may subsequently
determine that the mobile device exited the presence zone 152, and
may transfer this information to the presence zone service provider
(e.g., to presence server 166).
Some embodiments may utilize server-side location technologies, for
example, GPS or cellular triangulation, to identify the location of
mobile device 110. In some embodiments, this may not required
installation of components or software in the premises of location
151. Some embodiments may include registration of the physical
coordinates of the presence zone 152 with the presence zone service
provider. For example, if GPS is used, the registration includes
walking through the premises of location 151 and noting coordinates
that define the perimeters of the location 151. Optionally, a Java
2 Micro Edition (J2ME) application is utilized such that a
GPS-enabled mobile device user may walk from point to point,
optionally press a button in the application, and automatically
have the coordinate registered for the specified presence zone.
Similar methods may be used in conjunction with cellular
triangulation.
In some embodiments, an interface 128 is provided to allow mobile
device users to indicate their individual preferences 129 regarding
presence zones services (optionally, preferences which may be
specific to a particular presence zone application, zone type, or
to a type of presence zone applications); as well as a means to
allow a mobile device user to register his mobile device sensor
identification number (e.g., using Bluetooth, RFID, etc.) such that
the service will be able to identify the mobile device user. The
interface 128 may be provided or hosted by the presence zones
service provider, and may be Web based.
Once the presence zone 152 is registered, sensors are installed (if
required), and mobile device users are registered for a presence
zone service, the system 100 is fully operational. A location
sensing subsystem (e.g., presence detector 165) receives input from
the various types of sensors installed on the premises of location
151, and/or receives GPS data and/or cellular triangulation data
received from other subsystems. The information is aggregated to
identify people who enter, leave, and/or remain within the presence
zone 152. Presence detector 165 and/or the presence server 166 has
information of the ID of mobile device 110, and the zone ID of the
presence zone 152, and utilizes the proxy 167 to obtain the user's
identity based on the mobile device ID. The presence detector 165
and/or the presence server 166 and/or the application server 162
utilize this information to provide to mobile device 110 tailored
content, services and/or applications.
Server-side logic may provide multiple functionalities, for
example: correlation between mobile device ID and subscriber
information, namely, identifying the owner of the mobile device 110
based on the mobile device ID received from the mobile device 110;
aggregation of sensor info, such that information is collected from
multiple sensors or from all sensors, for determining in which
presence zone the mobile device 110 is located; performing
arbitration when the sensors indicate that the mobile device user
is in multiple presence zones; and/or sending location updates to
the applications server 172 or to other components of system
100.
Some embodiments utilize presence logging, for example, storing,
tracking and/or updating the presence information once it is
determined. For example, a presence database 178 is used to log
changes in the status of the presence of a mobile device user; the
presence database 178 may store, for example, the time of entry
into presence zone 152, the time of exit from presence zone 152,
the name and type of the presence zone 152, or the like.
In some embodiments, optionally, presence zones may send to the
presence server 166 updates regarding the mobile device user's
context. This information allows other users and/or devices and/or
applications to subscribe to this information and to act based on
this information.
In some embodiments, presence zones infrastructure allows creation
of various different types of applications, for example, call
routing, targeted advertising, gaming, dating, communities, trend
analysis of movements of mobile device users, or the like.
Applications, services and/or targeted content are provided to a
mobile device based on the identity of the mobile device user, the
location of the mobile device user, and the context of that
location; and optionally based on other properties and information
associated with the mobile device user.
Some embodiments utilize one or more sensors (e.g., Bluetooth,
Infra Red, RFID, GPS, or the like) running on a suitable platform
(e.g., J2ME, Jave 2 Standard Edition (J2SE), or the like, etc) and
able to communicate presence of mobile device(s) 110 to a server
(e.g., using HTTP, secure HTTP, SIP, secure SIP, or the like). One
or more mediators (e.g., presence detectors 165) may map the
location of the mobile device 110 to one or more logical zones, and
are able to handle various zone types, for example: a small store,
a large store, a large auditorium with several entrances and exits,
a stadium, a drive-in, a hospital, a hospital department, or the
like. The presence server 166 is updated with presence zone 152
information, for example, per mobile device. Presence zone 152 may
be defined as one or more logical entities, having owner(s) and
preferences. A Web-based interface allows mobile device users
and/or presence zone owners to customize or modify their
preferences in general, per presence zone, per type of zone, etc.
One or more applications of application server 172 subscribe to the
presence information in the presence server, and act upon the
presence information in accordance with the location of mobile
device 110, the preferences of the user of mobile device 110, and
the preferences associated with the presence zone 152 and/or the
zone owner.
In some embodiments, presence zones data is collected, analyzed,
and reported. Reports are produced by a reporting engine 179 with
regard to individual mobile device users, groups of users, movement
of user(s) among different presence zones, types of presence zones
visited, call or message re-routing performed, trends, or the like.
In some embodiments, information may be utilized, or shared with
third parties, or transferred to or sold to third parties, upon
agreement of the mobile device user, and optionally in exchange
with decreased cost of services provided.
In some embodiments, for example, a coffee chain collects profile
information from consumers or potential consumers, and subscribes
to the presence zone service with its profile category definitions
and promotion offers by category. Consumers also register for the
service indicating participating retailers from which they would
like to accept offers. When a participating consumer approaches or
enters a coffee shop of the coffee chain, the service accesses the
customer profile and sends to the mobile device of the customer a
SMS message with the appropriate pre-determined offer.
The coffee shop uses the service to speed up the process for a
customer to place and pay for his "usual" order, and/or to offer
promotions tailored to the customer. For example, the current
promotion is a coupon for one dollar off a breakfast sandwich for
customers who never ordered this item. Accordingly, a SMS message
is sent to the mobile device showing three options: place the usual
order; place the usual order together with a breakfast sandwich
including a discount coupon; and a third, different, offer or
promotion.
In some embodiments, for example, when the customer approaches his
local drive through, he receives a SMS message. The SMS message
asks the customer to select from three predetermined options: his
usual coffee and donut; his usual coffee with a (discounted)
breakfast sandwich; or a third, different, offer. Once the customer
selects an option, he receives another SMS message confirming the
total price and asking him to accept the charge on his post-paid
mobile device bill (e.g., cellular phone bill). The customer then
accepts the charge, using his mobile device. When the customer
arrives at the drive through window, his order is ready and waiting
for him. The cashier is aware that payment has been processed using
the customer's mobile device phone bill, and the transaction is
rapidly completed without delays.
In some embodiments, for example, a pharmacy chain collects profile
information from loyalty card holders and subscribes to the
presence zone service with its profile category definitions and
promotion offers by category. Consumers also register for the
service indicating participating retailers from which they would
like to accept offers. When a participating consumer enters the
pharmacy, the service accesses the customer profile and sends to
his mobile device a SMS message with the appropriate pre-determined
offer. The pharmacy defines customer profiles based on monthly
spending history and brand preferences. Promotions are designed to
encourage clients to purchase store brand products, high margin
products or seasonal merchandise.
For example, when customer Jane (carrying her mobile device) enters
the pharmacy, the system identifies her and recognizes her as a
"gold" customer. Shopping history indicates that Jane typically
purchases tissues of the brand "Wonderful"; the system sends to
Jane's mobile device a SMS message, offering her a discount coupon
if she buys tissues of the brand "Excellent", and further offers
her double membership points for her purchase. The SMS message
includes an offer code, to be used by Jane if she accepts the
promotion. Jane takes her purchase to the cashier and shows the
cashier her offer code, which is entered into the point-of-sale to
activate the coupon and the bonus membership points to be
awarded.
In some embodiments, a service provider collects profile
information from its consumers and defines its profile categories
and promotion offers by category. The service providers knows when
one of its customers approaches (or enters) one of its retail
stores. When a consumer approaches (or enters) a store, the system
accesses the customer profile, allowing store personnel to know
about the consumer who arrived and suggests an offer. The service
provider may choose to categorize its customers based on the
services they subscribe to. For example, the service provider may
be interested in up-selling customers, and/or providing an improved
in-store experience.
For example, when Tom approaches or enters the store, he is
recognized as a customer, using his mobile device. Accordingly, a
specialist in the store approaches Tom when he enters and asks if
she may help Tom. She tells Tom that he qualifies for a promotional
phone upgrade since he has been with the provider for two years.
During the conversation, the store clerk also tells Tom that the
store is offering a personalized promotion if Tom agrees to
subscribe to a particular additional service. Tom is interested in
the service and accepts the personalized promotion, which offers
him the first three months free. Tom is further given a promotion
code that is valid for three months, should he wish to also
subscribe to a second service. Tom's offers are confirmed via SMS
messages.
Some embodiments utilize presence zone to define and enforce call
routing rules. For example, different call routing rules are
applied based on the contextual location of the mobile device user,
for example, at home, in the car, on the street, in a theater, at
the office, at a meeting, in a stadium, in a restaurant, in a
train, in a hospital, in a school, in a high-security facility
(e.g., military facility), or the like. For example, presence zone
may be used to define or enforce a silence zone, e.g., a zone in
which it is mandatory that users do not conduct audio
conversations, or a zone in which it is mandatory that mobile
devices do not ring; as well as quiet zones, in which compliance is
at the discretion of the mobile device user.
In some embodiments, instead of, or in addition to, manual update
by the user of his preferred call routing, presence zones may be
used to automatically identify the contextual location of the
mobile device user, and to automatically update his presence
information based on location and pre-defined user preferences.
This includes, for example, automatic identification of the user's
physical location, as well as automatic enrichment of location data
with contextual information. The zone owner registers with the
service provider, and location and context are correlated.
Accordingly, instead of identifying only physical coordinates on a
map, the system is able to determine that the user is located in
the ICU Ward of Mount Sinai Hospital, in the Town Hall, in the
lobby of the Lion Theater, or the like; as well as to determine
whether or not the presence zone is a quiet zone.
For example, calls and messages may be routed and/or transformed
based on location and context, and the user is not required to
manually update the profile of his mobile device when changing
venue. This may allow, for example, automatic enforcement of a
zone's communication etiquette (e.g., mandatory quiet zone,
recommended quiet zone, or the like). Call routing and/or
transformation may be performed by a call router 164.
In some embodiments, the system may publish location information,
as well as location context information, to other users which
utilize "Presence Aware" devices. For example, an Instant Messaging
(IM) "buddy list" may display a status of "Home", "Office", "Car",
"Public Transportation", "Quiet Zone", "Silence Zone", or other
status identifiers, instead of or in addition to "Available" or
"Offline" status identifiers. In some embodiments, publication of
location context information is performed only if the mobile device
user pre-authorized such publication to third parties, or only to
pre-selected third parties.
In some embodiments, automatic determination of the context of the
physical location of the mobile device is used for automatic
determination of the preferred type of communication, based on one
or more call-routing or call-transformation rules. For example,
when the mobile device user is at home, calls may be routed to the
home phone (if not busy), or otherwise to the mobile device
(namely, cellular phone) or to a pager. When the mobile device user
is at the office, calls may be routed to the office phone (if not
busy), or otherwise to an Internet chat application or to
electronic mail. When the mobile device user is in a car, calls may
be routed directly to the voice mail of the cellular phone;
optionally, an incoming SMS message is converted (using
text-to-voice converter) into voice-mail messages. When the mobile
device user is in a quiet zone (e.g., a restaurant or a theater, or
potions thereof), calls may be routed directly to the voice mail of
the cellular phone; optionally, an incoming SMS message is
converted (using text-to-voice converter) into voice-mail messages;
optionally, text messages are routed to cellular phone or pager;
optionally, urgent messages are converted from voice to text, and
optionally a text chat application may be used. When the mobile
device user is in a silence zone (e.g., a hospital Intensive Care
Unit, or a police station), incoming calls are directly forwarded
to voice mail, or to an alternate phone number. When the mobile
device user is in a sports arena or stadium, incoming calls are
transformed to SMS messages, and optionally a text chat application
is invoked. When the mobile device user is not in his home, office
or car, incoming calls are routed to the mobile device, namely, the
cellular phone (for example, if the user is not in a presence zone
associated with various routing rules).
In some embodiments, silence zone rules and quiet zone rules may be
enforced using one or more mechanisms. For example, blocking of
incoming wireless signals and/or outgoing wireless signals may be
used to enforce a silence zone, in which it is mandatory that users
do not conduct audio conversations, or in which it is mandatory
that mobile devices do not ring (e.g., some hospital wards, a
police station, a court of law, an airplane, or the like). In such
zones, no calls are sent to the mobile device, in order to enforce
silence and/or to avoid RF interference with other equipment (e.g.,
medical equipment, airplane systems, or the like).
In some embodiments, a forced quiet is enforced if a business
selects to completely enforce the quiet zone, only accepting calls
for mobile devices that have a profile in effect that has the
ringer deactivated or turned off. If the user's quiet zone profile
indicates that he would like to ignore the quiet zone, then no
calls would be forwarded to the mobile device. Instead, incoming
calls are sent directly to voice mail or to an alternative
destination.
In some embodiments, a recommended quiet zone is applied, such that
the user's quiet zone profile is invoked. A considerate user may
define the quite zone profile to prevent his phone from ringing;
however, this may be overridden by the mobile device user.
In some embodiments, quiet zone rules and/or silence zone rules are
selectively enforced per room, per sub-unit of the zone, per
area-of-interest, on specific days (e.g., only on weekdays, only on
weekends, only on holidays), at specific times (e.g., at morning
time, at night time, between certain hours, at a time in which a
doctor enters the patient's room), or based on other conditions or
criteria (e.g., quiet zone enforced when the movie plays in the
movie theater, and not enforced before the movie starts or after
the movie ends).
In some embodiments, application of some rules may be performed
without additional cost to the mobile device user, whereas
application of other rules may require pre-payment or post-payment.
For example, directly routing an incoming call to a voice mail,
when the user is in a silence zone, may be performed for free;
whereas conversion of an incoming call from speech to text, and/or
forwarding the text via SMS or electronic mail, may require
payment.
Some embodiments may operate in conjunction with Presence Advanced
Services for Telco Applications (PASTA) systems or applications,
which allow mobile devices and networks to automatically learn
about their users' whereabouts and preferences as they commute,
work and travel, using machine-learning and pattern-recognition
algorithms.
For example, a first mobile device user ("Anne") registers with
presence zones via intranet or the Internet. Anne provides her
Bluetooth ID, and fills out the quiet zone profile selecting
"forward incoming calls to secretary". Anne leaves her home, and
drives to the office in her car. John would like to know where Anne
is. A PASTA logic 177 sub-system deducts from GPS updates how far
Anne is from her office, and publishes this information; for
example, John sees Anne's status (e.g., "car" or "office") using
his IM application.
Subsequently, Anne arrives to her office and her presence is
updated; she is not in a quiet zone. When John calls Anne, Anne may
answer the incoming call. Then, as several customers enter the zone
in which Anne is located, a quiet zone is invoked; if John calls
Anne, his call is directly forwarded to Anne's secretary. When the
customers leave the zone, the quiet zone is cancelled; if John
calls Anne, she may answer the incoming call.
In some embodiments, one or more rules may be used to set a zone as
a quiet zone. For example, if it is determined that three or more
mobile devices are located within a zone, the zone may be
automatically set to quiet zone; whereas if it is determined that
two or less mobile devices are located within the zone, the quiet
zone may be automatically cancelled or suspended.
In some embodiments, communication between a presence zone
sub-system and a PASTA sub-system is performed, for example, using
a proxy and a presence server. The presence server is able to
publish and update presence information, and the proxy--or an
application server--is able to subscribe to presence information.
Optionally, the presence server is associated with the PASTA logic
177 sub-system, in which a pattern recognition engine and a pattern
learning engine generate rich presence information, which may be
injected or otherwise transferred to the presence server for
further publishing.
In some embodiments, a presence zones application may include a
dating or matching application. For example, the application
identifies mobile device users that are located in a particular
zone, or a particular type of zone; and provides a matching service
based on preferences defined by the users. For example, the users
may see on their mobile devices the list of people located nearby
who would like to meet other people and who meet their preference
criteria.
In some embodiments, a presence zones application may include a
gaming application which identifies mobile device users that are
located in a particular zone, or a particular type of zone; and
publishes those that are available for gaming or playing a
particular game and who meet the user's pre-defined preferences
(e.g., skill level, age, gender, or other parameters).
FIG. 2 is schematic flow-chart of a method of wireless
communication in accordance with some demonstrative embodiments of
the invention. Operations of the method may be used, for example,
by system 100 of FIG. 1, and/or by other suitable units, devices
and/or systems.
In some embodiments, the method may include, for example,
registering a presence zone corresponding to a geo-spatial location
(block 210). In some embodiments, instead of or in addition to zone
registration, other zone initialization operations may be
performed, for example, inferring a presence zone (e.g., based on
PASTA logic or information).
In some embodiments, the method may include, for example,
registering an ID of a mobile device (block 215).
In some embodiments, the method may include, for example,
determining that the mobile device is located within the presence
zone (block 220).
In some embodiments, the method may include, for example,
selectively providing content and/or services to the mobile device
through wireless communication, based on the location of the mobile
device, the context of the location, and the identity of the user
of the mobile device (block 230).
In some embodiments, the method may subsequently include, for
example, determining that the mobile device is no longer located
within the presence zone (block 240). This may include, for
example, exit from the presence zone, or moving from a first
present zone to a second present zone.
In some embodiments, the method may subsequently include, for
example, modifying content and/or services provided to the mobile
device through wireless communication based on the determination of
block 240. This may include, for example, modifying call routing
rules that apply to incoming communications, based on exit from a
presence zone, entry into a presence zone, or movement from a first
presence zone to a second presence zone.
Other suitable operations or sets of operations may be used in
accordance with embodiments of the invention.
Some embodiments of the invention, for example, may take the form
of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software
embodiment, or an embodiment including both hardware and software
elements. Some embodiments may be implemented in software, which
includes but is not limited to firmware, resident software,
microcode, or the like.
Furthermore, some embodiments of the invention may take the form of
a computer program product accessible from a computer-usable or
computer-readable medium providing program code for use by or in
connection with a computer or any instruction execution system. For
example, a computer-usable or computer-readable medium may be or
may include any apparatus that can contain, store, communicate,
propagate, or transport the program for use by or in connection
with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.
In some embodiments, the medium may be an electronic, magnetic,
optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system (or
apparatus or device) or a propagation medium. Some demonstrative
examples of a computer-readable medium may include a semiconductor
or solid state memory, magnetic tape, a removable computer
diskette, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a
rigid magnetic disk, and an optical disk. Some demonstrative
examples of optical disks include compact disk-read only memory
(CD-ROM), compact disk-read/write (CD-R/W), and DVD.
In some embodiments, a data processing system suitable for storing
and/or executing program code may include at least one processor
coupled directly or indirectly to memory elements, for example,
through a system bus. The memory elements may include, for example,
local memory employed during actual execution of the program code,
bulk storage, and cache memories which may provide temporary
storage of at least some program code in order to reduce the number
of times code must be retrieved from bulk storage during
execution.
In some embodiments, input/output or I/O devices (including but not
limited to keyboards, displays, pointing devices, etc.) may be
coupled to the system either directly or through intervening I/O
controllers. In some embodiments, network adapters may be coupled
to the system to enable the data processing system to become
coupled to other data processing systems or remote printers or
storage devices, for example, through intervening private or public
networks. In some embodiments, modems, cable modems and Ethernet
cards are demonstrative examples of types of network adapters.
Other suitable components may be used.
Functions, operations, components and/or features described herein
with reference to one or more embodiments, may be combined with, or
may be utilized in combination with, one or more other functions,
operations, components and/or features described herein with
reference to one or more other embodiments, or vice versa.
While certain features of some embodiments of the invention have
been illustrated and described herein, many modifications,
substitutions, changes, and equivalents may occur to those skilled
in the art. It is, therefore, to be understood that the appended
claims are intended to cover all such modifications and
changes.
* * * * *
References